Chapter 83 Can You Accompany Me for the Surgery?
Vivienne didn't know about the problems between James and Gloria. She thought that once she left, James and Gloria would reconcile and continue their life together.
With James's current status, no one would dare bully Gloria anymore.
Vivienne turned to look at Gloria and noticed she seemed a bit down.
"What's wrong? Missing him already now that he's just left?"
Gloria snapped out of her daze from the falling snowflakes. She hid the complicated emotions in her eyes and smiled at Vivienne, "Yes, I miss him a little."
John should have found him by now.
Gloria planned to spend the next two days at the nursing home with Vivienne. Once Vivienne had adjusted, she could go down the mountain for her surgery.
To prevent any accidents, Gloria even turned off her phone, completely cutting herself off from all the outside chaos.
She never expected that when she arrived at the nursing home parking lot and opened the car door, she would see Caspian standing there with a black umbrella, tall and elegant.
He was dressed all in black, standing in front of the snow-dusted green forest.
His eyes were deep, his nose bridge high, his features exquisitely handsome. A cashmere turtleneck sweater reached his Adam's apple, blending with his delicate skin, making him look both noble and austere.
With the snow falling all around him, he stood there like a scene from a beautifully shot film.
For some reason, Gloria felt a sense of warmth when she saw Caspian.
Although they hadn't spent that much time together, he had witnessed so many of her vulnerable moments, plus there was the connection from knowing each other as children.
Originally, Gloria's world only had two very important people - Vivienne and James - but without realizing it, she had accepted Caspian into it.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, somewhat surprised.
Caspian handed the umbrella to Joseph and explained casually, "Still need to arrange some things for Vivienne."
Gloria smiled apologetically, "Sorry to trouble you again. Have you been waiting long?"
"Not long, just got here."
Vivienne instinctively glanced at the black umbrella and saw a thick layer of snow accumulated on it. Her pupils darkened.
"Vivienne, how are you feeling?" Caspian asked proactively and stepped forward to help support Vivienne.
"How could I not be well? Gloria is my only close relative left. How could I bear to leave her alone in this world?"
Caspian was not only composed but also well-behaved in front of his elders. "Vivienne, you'll surely live to a hundred. There are top doctors here, just focus on recovering."
Gloria's lips curved into a sweet smile. "Grandma, let me show you around and try the breakfast here to see if you like it."
"Okay."
Vivienne was very cooperative. Being old, she couldn't help her descendants much anymore. The only thing she could do was try not to be a burden.
If she stayed alone on the side, Gloria would definitely worry, so she needed to adapt quickly to let Gloria feel at ease and live her own life.
The nursing home was excellent quality. Vivienne couldn't find a single fault and was genuinely satisfied.
Joseph had already arranged breakfast. Gloria helped Vivienne sit down.
Caspian placed a cup of warm milk in front of Gloria. Gloria looked up and saw Caspian's hand holding the glass - his knuckles distinct, fingers slender and strong, veins visible on the back of his hand.
"Thank you."
Vivienne quietly observed their interaction.
She asked, "After all these years, has Caspian gotten married?"
Caspian, who was serving oatmeal porridge for Vivienne, paused slightly, his expression calm. "No."
"What about a girlfriend? You're not that young anymore. Surely you have someone?"
"No." Caspian answered calmly, placing the bowl in front of Vivienne with both hands, very polite and respectful.
Joseph explained from the side, "Mr. Rivers is focused on his work and has no time for dating. Besides, in our hometown, late marriage and late childbearing are quite common. Mr. Rivers is still young, no rush."
Gloria also spoke up, "Grandma, don't worry about other people's life events. Times are different now. Forget late marriage - plenty of people don't marry or have children at all."
Vivienne laughed heartily, "I guess I'm behind the times. Alright, everyone eat."
Gloria had no appetite and just drank some milk and oatmeal porridge.
"Gloria, you can't just eat this little every day. Look how thin you've gotten." She lovingly placed a shrimp in Gloria's bowl.
Gloria didn't want Vivienne to worry. Before she could swallow, stomach acid surged up.
She forced it down. "Grandma, I already had breakfast this morning. I'm not hungry. You eat more."
She got up and walked toward the restroom, not daring to show any signs.
At this critical moment, Vivienne absolutely couldn't know about her pregnancy.
Vivienne wanted to say something more, but Caspian suddenly stood up to get a cup from the shelf, his tall frame blocking Vivienne's view.
Joseph both served Vivienne food and chatted to distract her.
"Vivienne, Mr. Rivers had people make a type of pickled food in Crystalbrook, but the chef at home can't get the taste he wants no matter what. How about you write me the recipe later, and I'll take it back to study it properly?"
This topic got Vivienne excited, and she explained the whole process to Joseph, from selecting vegetables to pickling.
Joseph pulled out his work notebook and dutifully took notes.
Caspian said he came to handle paperwork, but he stayed on the mountain all day. When night fell, Gloria went out to see him off.
Caspian held a black umbrella, shielding them both from the wind and snow.
The night was quiet. Hot spring water flowed down bamboo pipes on the mountain, making pleasant sounds.
"The snow's heavy outside. Just see me off to here." He handed the umbrella handle to Gloria.
Gloria didn't know what she was thinking. Her mind was foggy.
Seeing Caspian reach out his hand, she instinctively pulled her hand from her down jacket pocket and, as if possessed, grasped Caspian's hand.
The hand with its faint warmth pressed against the back of Gloria's hand without warning.
The coldness of her palm was like a bucket of cold water, instantly pulling her back to her senses.
She withdrew her hand in panic, her voice full of awkwardness, "Sorry, sorry, I, I was spacing out just now."
The black umbrella blocked most of the light. The area above Caspian's lips was hidden in dark shadow.
Gloria couldn't see his expression clearly, only his thin lips pressed tightly together.
He seemed to look at her silently for a long moment before speaking, "My car is here. The wind and snow are too heavy on the way back. Use the umbrella to block the wind."
Only then did Gloria realize and take the umbrella handle. This time she was careful not to touch him at all.
Gloria watched Caspian's tall figure walk into the snowy ground. She called out softly, "Caspian."
Caspian paused and turned to look at her.
The warm lamplight fell on Caspian's refined face, adding a halo. His sharply defined features lost some of their intimidating coldness.
He said nothing, just looked at her with his deep eyes.
Even though there wasn't much extra emotion in them, whenever he looked at her like this, Gloria had the illusion that his eyes were full of her.
Seeing her not speak, her small face looking somewhat troubled, Caspian prompted in a low voice, "What is it?"
His voice sounded especially pleasant in the quiet night, like a cello, elegant and magnificent. Gloria bit her lip, finding it hard to say, "I scheduled surgery for the day after tomorrow. I'm a bit scared to go alone. I don't have any other friends or family in Silverlake Springs. Could you..."
Before she could finish, Caspian answered firmly, "Yes."